Peter Pettigrew and the Perilous Pranks: Year Two
by janeeyrefreak
Summary: Sequel to Remus Lupin and the Werewolf Within. Peter and the gang start their second year at Hogwarts, where they compete with a rival prankster until the pranks become dangerous. 2 of 7, each a dif. POV.
1. Rescue

**Title:** Peter Pettigrew and the Perilous Pranks (Year Two)  
  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters created by J.K. Rowling. She is a literary genius. I do own the plot of this story, as well as the original characters, such as Professor Carter, Austin Harris, Medea Fletcher and Remus' parents.

**Pairing:** Only the briefest hints of a Remus/Lily crush

**Feedback:** Please!

**Summary:** Peter and his friends Remus, James and Sirius return to Hogwarts for their second year, after a trip to the Quidditch World Cup. Once there, they discover there is another prankster at work within the school. Soon it becomes apparent that this prankster is out to harm students, and the Marauders work to stop whoever it is.

**Genre:** General/Action/Adventure

**Rated:** PG—just to be on the safe side

**Note:** This is a sequel to Remus Lupin and the Werewolf Within (Year One). Also, this was written pre-OotP, so please keep that in mind. It is also much shorter than Year One, maybe because I can't stand Peter. I may go back later and fill it out a bit.  
  
Chapter One: Rescue  
  
Peter Pettigrew woke one hot summer day to a rapping at his window. He sleepily looked up and saw an owl outside. He got out of bed and opened the window to let the bird in.  
  
"Hello Elfrida," Peter greeted the owl cheerfully, taking two letters and a package from her. "What have you brought me today?"  
  
Elfrida belonged to Austin Harris. Austin had attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with Peter and his friends last year, but had to move to France once term was over. Peter anxiously opened the letter from Austin first.  
  
Dear Peter,  
  
It was really good to hear from you. I like France all right, I guess, and I'm starting to pick up on the language. I wish I was able to use magic outside of school—I would be an expert at translation spells by now. I can't wait to see you all at the World Cup in a week!  
  
Austin  
  
Peter smiled. He could picture Austin using translation spells forever instead of learning French. Peter was also very excited for the Quidditch World Cup, though more to see his friends all together again than to watch the quidditch. He set the letter down and opened the other one. Peter was a bit surprised to see it was from James since James lived nearby.  
  
Hello Peter,  
  
I sent this along with Elfrida because she stopped at my house first. I didn't think Austin would mind and the more we can keep this secret, the better. I have sent a very good book on the process of becoming animagi that I would like you to read before term starts. Also, don't tell Lily about it, I am sure she would either want to join in or she would report us. Would you like to come over to my house for a few days before the world cup? Remus and Sirius already said they can, I am waiting to hear from Austin and Lily. Let me know soon!  
  
James  
  
Peter tore off the paper surrounding the book. 'Becoming an Animagus: Volume I-Finding Your Inner Animal by B. N. Animal,' the front cover proclaimed. Peter opened to the first page, where other books by B. N. Animal were listed. He was astonished to find there were nine more volumes of "Becoming an Animagus."  
  
"Guess this is going to be harder than any of us thought," Peter remarked out loud. Elfrida seemed to nod her agreement. "But it will be worth it, to be with Remus at the full moons," he continued. He set the book aside to begin later and wrote his friends both letters back. He didn't even bother asking his parents about staying at James' house before accepting James' invitation; he knew they wouldn't even notice he was gone.  
  
"Do you mind taking this to James' on your way?" Peter asked the owl before tying both letters to her leg.  
  
"Thanks, Elfrida." With a hoot of affection, the owl flew off.  
  
With a sigh, Peter headed down to breakfast. As usual, his mother was deeply enthralled by the _Daily Prophet_ and his father was already at work.  
  
"Hello, mum," Peter said mechanically, not surprised when there was no response. He sat down to his already cold breakfast. He almost choked on his food when his mother spoke.  
  
"We got a letter from your brother today," she began, not lifting her eyes from her paper. "Brian got another promotion at work."  
  
"Great," Peter mumbled. '_That's all she ever cares about. Brian. You'd think Peter doesn't exist._'  
  
Looking up sharply, his mother replied, "You could learn a lot from your brother, Peter. He was the top of his class at Hogwarts, and look at you, you barely passed your first year classes."  
  
Peter hung his head, hoping his mother would lose interest. After a moment, she turned her attention back to the paper. Peter quickly finished his breakfast and went outside, anything to get out of the house. He wandered around his extensive backyard, not doing anything in particular. All of a sudden, he saw a blur zooming towards him, quite low to the ground and he jumped out of its way.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?" Peter exclaimed as he saw his friend James Potter slow his racing broom to a stop.  
  
"Just testing out my new broom," James replied innocently. "I didn't scare you, did I?" For moment James' face remained serious, but he soon smiled broadly. "I'm sorry, Peter, I couldn't resist."  
  
Peter smiled back. "No problem. What's up?"  
  
Shrugging, James replied, "Nothing. That's why I came over- to see if you wanted to just come to my house now and stay until we leave for the World Cup. I was bored to tears, so I am begging you to come early! Sirius is coming later today and Remus is coming tomorrow."  
  
A feeling of relief rushed through Peter. A chance to escape Brian's accomplishments and his mother's disappointment a week early? 'This must be my lucky day,' he thought.  
  
"Sure," he answered loudly. "Let me just pack my stuff and tell my mum." He ran into the house, more excited than he had been the whole first month of the summer holiday.  
  
"Mum?" he called. "James is here and wants to know if I can spend the week at his house until the World Cup."  
  
"Okay, Peter," was the muffled response.  
  
Peter raced up to his room and started throwing things into his trunk. In a very short time, he was packed and dragging his trunk down the stairs to join James in the backyard.  
  
James looked at the heavy trunk and sighed. "I guess we're walking back to my house."  
  
"Unless you have some Floo Powder on you," Peter answered. "We're all out."  
  
Without saying a word, James picked up one end of the trunk while Peter picked up the other. Together they carried Peter's luggage around the house and two streets over to where the Potters lived. "You brought the Animagus book, right?" James asked as they set the trunk down the front porch of his manor house.  
  
Peter nodded. "I can't wait to get started with it," he anxiously replied.  
  
"Me neither," James said, opening the door. His house elf, Pokey, was standing inside.  
  
"Oh, Master James, let Pokey get that for you," the creature cried shrilly and with a snap of its fingers, the trunk disappeared.  
  
"Thanks Pokey," James pleasantly acknowledged his servant.  
  
Peter echoed, "Thanks," following James inside.  
  
He was awed by the inside of James' house, even though he had been inside it a million times. Peter lived in a nice house in the same neighborhood, but it was nowhere near as nice as this. As Peter thought about this, James' mom came to greet him.  
  
"Hello Peter," she said, smiling.  
  
"Hello Mrs. Potter," Peter answered. "Thank you for having me over."  
  
"You're quite welcome. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"  
  
"No thanks, I just ate breakfast," Peter said gratefully.  
  
"You boys let me know if you need anything," she invited, turning and leaving the room.  
  
Peter followed James through the house and out the back door. "Your mom is so nice," Peter remarked as James got out a spare broom for Peter.  
  
James shrugged. "I guess so. Want to practice flying for a bit?"  
  
Peter hesitated for a moment before answering, but the thought of being able to improve unobserved was enough to overcome his fear. "Sure."  
  
Mounting the broomstick, Peter gripped the handle tightly, taking off after James. He went slowly at first, making sluggish turns behind James, but eventually he picked up speed and confidence, and darted behind the fast flyer. He still wasn't great at flying, but he was getting the hang of it when James gently landed some time later.  
  
"That was a lot better, Peter," his friend exclaimed enthusiastically.  
  
Peter blushed. "Thanks."  
  
"Don't thank me, it's the truth."  
  
Then, Mrs. Potter called out the back door, "Boys, Sirius is here and lunch is ready!"  
  
Quickly they put their brooms away and ran inside before Sirius could eat all of their food.  
  
After having a rather large lunch, the boys spent the afternoon engaged in a massive wizard chess tournament, which Sirius won. When James' dad arrived back at home, he battled Sirius. The match was brutal, but in the end, Mr. Potter triumphed. Exhausted from their mental efforts, all of the boys retired early and fell quickly asleep.


	2. Studying

Chapter Two: Studying  
  
The next morning, Peter and the others awoke to a large thunk and several clatters. Rubbing his eyes, Peter got out of bed and went downstairs to see what was the matter. When he arrived in the kitchen, he saw Remus standing with Mrs. Potter, his trunk open and the contents all over the floor. Seeing Peter, and behind him, James and Sirius, Remus smiled sheepishly.  
  
"Guess we haven't got the hang of Floo powder at my house quite yet," he said, as he began to pick up his things. Remus' family had been living in the Muggle world from the time he was four until he had received his letter inviting him to attend Hogwarts, despite his father being a very talented wizard.  
  
"Never mind that, dear," Mrs. Potter gently replied. "I'll get it." With a flick of her wand, she had all of Remus' belongings back in his trunk.  
  
"Thanks, Mrs. Potter," Remus sighed gratefully. She swished her wand again and the trunk disappeared.  
  
Peter knew now that all four of the Marauders were here, they could start working on the process of becoming animagi, but of course James' mom had no idea, so she reasoned, "I'm sure you boys can't wait to get outside, so go on."  
  
The boys looked at each other, all thinking the same thing. James said, "Thanks mom, but I think we'll be up in my room for a bit."  
  
Mrs. Potter looked confused as the four boys ran upstairs. They each pulled out their copy of _Finding Your Inner Animal_ and settled in, as only James had read it all so far. A few minutes later, Peter interrupted the silence.  
  
"Remus?" he asked. "Why are you reading this if we're only learning it to be with you while you're a werewolf? You're not going to need any of this, are you?" He looked at his friend uncertainly.  
  
"Nah," Remus answered, shaking his head. "I won't need it now, but it's interesting, and I'd like to know what you are all talking about."  
  
His curiosity on that point satisfied, Peter turned back to the book.  
  
Hours later, a knock at the door brought them all back to the present. "Honey?" Mrs. Potter called, sounding concerned.  
  
James looked up guiltily. "Yes, mom?" He motioned for the other boys to put their books away. Peter quickly sat on his and tried to look as if he wasn't up to anything.  
  
The door opened slowly and Mrs. Potter peaked her head into the room. "What are you boys still doing up here?" she asked with a quizzical look on her face.  
  
"We were just comparing some of the homework we had for the summer, Mrs. Potter," Remus stated.  
  
Mrs. Potter looked unbelievingly at her son, but as she looked over the innocent faces in front of her, she sighed and said, "That was good of you boys, but I really think you need to get outside on a day like today."  
  
"Sure, mom," James agreed, standing up. The boys filed out of the room past James' mother. Peter gave her a huge smile as he walked by. She smiled back sweetly.  
  
The Marauders walked outside and across the huge meadow that lay behind the house, giving it its name. There, they were free to discuss what they had read without fear of being overheard. For hours they discussed the methods they would have to use, and what animals each of them thought each other would become.  
  
In the next few days, Peter and the others finished Volume I and had discussed it thoroughly. They resolved on trying the experiments the next time that they were all together, just the four of them. (Remus needed to be there in case anything went wrong, besides his strong interest.) They found that a wizard's animagus could not be chosen from any animal; there were certain animals unique to each wizard that had to be discovered and chosen from. Which of these animals became a wizard's animagus was up to that wizard, but there were ways to find which was the best fit. As Lily and Austin were arriving the next day, the group didn't have time to begin.  
  
Peter was glad to be seeing his good friends Lily Evans and Austin Harris again, though he was sad his animagus training was on hold. When they actually arrived at James', however, Peter was kept so busy he barely noticed he wasn't finding his inner animal.  
  
'_Lily looks gorgeous as usual_,' Peter thought the day after her arrival, watching her finger her long auburn hair as she talked to Remus, green eyes alight. And Austin, Peter noted with glee, had picked up quite an accent already, but was hilariously unaware of it.  
  
"Who wants to spend the day in Diagon Alley?" Mr. Potter interrupted Peter's thoughts, and everyone's breakfast.  
  
Cheers erupted from everyone at the table, and Mr. Potter smiled. "I had a feeling you would all like that idea. We can go as soon as breakfast is over."  
  
Nobody seemed hungry anymore, so the trip commenced only a few minutes later. Peter followed James through the fireplace to Diagon Alley and they waited for everyone else to arrive. Staring at all the wonderful shops, Peter was amazed by them yet again. He could see a quidditch shop, Ollivander's wands and Flourish and Blotts from where he and James stood. He could hardly wait to spend the day looking through them. The sickles in his pocket were waiting to be spent, so he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, waiting for everyone to arrive.  
  
Finally, the rest of the group appeared and they split into groups, planning to meet later in the afternoon for ice cream. Peter, Austin and Remus found themselves going one way, while James, Sirius and Lily went another, and Mr. and Mrs. Potter went yet another.  
  
"Where to first?" Austin asked with a smile.  
  
Remus glanced at Peter, and seeing he wasn't going to decide, said, "Smith's Defense Shoppe!"  
  
Peter nodded eagerly, having never been in the Defense Against the Dark Arts store. The trio found the store without trouble and made their way in. Remus immediately went to the counter and began a discussion with the old man standing behind it. A small, pale girl glared at the boys from a dark corner of the store, then quickly left. Austin and Peter, who had grown quite close through their letter writing, shrugged it off and browsed the store together. Remus joined them after a few minutes and they played with everything they could, from the new, but simple Sneak-o-Scopes to the large and heavy Cunning Calculators.  
  
None of the boys bought anything, but they had had a fun time in the shop. As they were leaving, Remus called out, "So long, Mr. Smith!" Peter and Austin echoed the goodbye and walked out onto the street.  
  
They visited the quidditch supply shop, the magical pet shop and the book shop before it was time to meet up with everyone else. Peter hadn't seen James, Lily and Sirius since they had parted, and he had only spotted James' parents once, but with their arms intertwined while staring dreamily at each other, he hadn't thought it wise to say hello. However, both groups were there waiting at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor when Peter, Remus and Austin arrived.  
  
Everyone ordered excitedly, and Peter was very glad to be with a large group of people who were laughing, talking and including him. He had never had a more fun day. After a quick stop back at Flourish and Blotts for Austin, who had forgotten to pick up a book on learning French (he said the wizards pictured in the French version were too hard to understand), the entire group used Floo powder to get back to James' house.  
  
A large and busy dinner followed their excursion, and Pokey seemed just as excited to have everyone there, but he showed his feelings by offering to do everything for everyone, which got a bit annoying after awhile. Peter enjoyed himself immensely, and he got a chance to talk to Lily.  
  
"How is your awful Muggle sister, Petunia?" Peter asked.  
  
Lily sighed. "Quite as terrible as usual, I'm afraid." She smiled. "She's half afraid of me and half afraid that everyone will find out she's related to a 'freak'." She looked closely at Peter. "Do you have any brothers or sisters? I can't believe I don't know."  
  
"Oh," Peter responded, startled. "I have a brother Brian, who's, like 23. He's a big shot at some company- he handles their runes or something. That's all my parents ever talk about." Peter shredded his napkin as he spoke.  
  
"Oh." Lily looked concerned for Peter, but was a bit lost on what to say. "I'm sorry about that." She continued, in a lower voice, "I know what you did for Remus, you know. I just wanted to tell you thank you, and that I'm very proud of you."  
  
Peter blushed furiously, and Lily kindly turned to Sirius and changed the subject. After he had saved Remus from being shot by a Muggle farmer while Remus was a dangerous werewolf, Peter hadn't wanted to tell anyone. But the others had insisted on telling Lily the entire truth (well, almost, they left out the part about the map of Hogwarts' secret passages they had been making) and Dumbledore had had to tell an extremely edited version of the events to the entire school to explain the points Peter had won for Gryffindor. It wasn't that Peter wasn't happy or proud about what he'd done, he just didn't want a fuss made over him. '_I'm just Peter, after all_,' he thought, pushing the events of last year out of his head.  
  
Lily turned back to Peter to ask him who he thought would win the Quidditch World Cup. "I say it'll be Columbia, but Sirius insists France will win."  
  
Peter hesitated, looking over at Austin for a clue as to what he should answer. Austin grinned broadly and Peter smiled back. "I wouldn't bet against the French."  
  
"I think you're sadly mistaken, my friend," James spoke softly. "Columbia can't be beat."  
  
Sirius glared at him, and then he and James turned to Remus, who shook his head.  
  
"There's no way I'm picking sides in this war! I don't know anything about either team."  
  
James and Sirius looked disappointed, and sat back in their seats, still scowling at one another. Trying to lighten the mood, Mr. Potter started reminiscing about the first World Cup he had attended. Soon Peter, and the whole table, had forgotten about the disagreement and were listening intently to James' dad. He was quite a storyteller and for almost an hour he kept them all entertained with descriptions of the game as well as some familiar wizards. Pacified, James and Sirius seemed to forget all about their dispute as Peter and the others followed them upstairs after dinner.  
  
"I just can't wait until we get to see the World Cup," Sirius said with a sigh as he sat on James' bed.  
  
James nodded vigorously. "Then we can tell our children all about it, too."  
  
Lily laughed. "Already thinking about children, James?"  
  
Blushing furiously, James sputtered, "No!"  
  
"We are actually going to arrive at the World Cup a few days before it starts," Remus said loudly, turning the attention towards himself.  
  
"Why?" Peter asked, catching on to Remus' plan. He didn't want to see James embarrassed like that any more than Remus did.  
  
"We have to arrive in waves, so as not to attract Muggle attention," Remus explained. "My dad just found out that with our tickets, we have to arrive 3 days in advance."  
  
Peter's face fell. This meant they would be leaving James' two days earlier than planned. He didn't want to lose this time with his friends. But he needn't have worried- the remaining time at James' was fun and fast paced, but the group was closer than they had been when they had left Hogwarts last June. The time came to leave and Mr. Lupin appeared at the Meadow to meet them.  
  
"Hello boys," Mr. Lupin said, grinning like a schoolboy.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Lupin," Peter answered, grinning back.  
  
Mr. Lupin held up a hand. "Call me Nick," he insisted.  
  
Lily, James, Sirius and Austin answered, "Hello, Nick!" while Remus said, "Good to see you, dad!"  
  
"We have to get all of our stuff together so we can go catch our Portkey to the World Cup site," Nick said, and Peter and the others ran off to get their bags. In a minute, they were back and after thanking the Potters for having them over, they walked through James' neighborhood to a park.  
  
"Where are we going?" Austin whispered to Peter.  
  
"We have to take a Portkey to the World Cup," Peter answered. "I bet it's in the park, that way several groups can go together."  
  
Austin still looked confused, so Peter continued, "A Portkey is an ordinary object that when touched will take you to a certain spot."  
  
"Oh," Austin replied, as they arrived in the park.  
  
Nick picked up an old shoe. "This is probably it," he said. "Everyone touch it, it is scheduled to go in two minutes."  
  
As Peter put a finger on the shoe, he began to get nervous. He had heard of Portkeys, but he had never traveled by one before. What if he got left behind or went to the wrong place? Nick looked at Peter and smiled reassuringly.  
  
"I guess we're the only ones from around here going to the World Cup today," Nick said.  
  
"Or we're the only ones young enough to not be able to apparate there," James countered.  
  
Nick smiled. "Maybe, but apparating to France would be a bit dangerous. It isn't as reliable at long dis-"  
  
At that moment, Peter felt a strong tug behind his stomach as the scene around him swirled out of control. A moment later, Peter fell on the ground with a thud. He heard the others hit the ground as well, and they struggled to disentangle arms, legs and bags.  
  
A hassled looking witch called out to them in a French accent, "Welcome to ze Quidditch World Cup. Could you come over 'ere pleez? We're expecting anozer group from Bulgaria in one minute." 


	3. World Cup and Warm Welcomes

A/N: There is some French in this chapter that I got from an online translator. I am sure parts of it are not correct, but I don't know enough French to know. If you notice mistakes, I would be happy to be informed and make corrections, but please don't leave me nasty reviews over it.

Chapter Three: World Cup and Warm Welcomes  
  
All seven members of the group quickly moved out of the way. Peter watched the space they had just landed in with amazement as one minute later, twenty wizards all dressed in Bulgarian colors appeared in the space, all of them touching an old grocery bag. The witch in charge spoke quickly to them in what sounded to Peter like Bulgarian, then turned back to Nick and the rest of the group.  
  
"Eef you follow zis map, you can get to ze campsite we 'ave rented," she said hurriedly, handing Nick a map.  
  
"A campsite?" Lily asked surprised.  
  
The witch rolled her eyes. "Yes, ze campsite. We can't have all of ze wizards 'oo come stay in town, can we? Ze attention zey'd attract!" She turned back to watch for the next group.  
  
Lily looked shocked at the reply, but Peter noticed she quickly shrugged it off as Nick announced cheerfully, "I thought we might be camping, good thing I brought the tents." He noticed the Bulgarian group was waiting to follow him, smiling happily, so he said, "Let's go!"  
  
He walked over to the Bulgarian group, pointed to himself and said, "Nick Lupin," a bit louder than necessary.  
  
A man who seemed to be the patriarch of the group grinned more broadly and answered, "Nickoli Oblansk."  
  
Nick nodded and pointed down the trail they were to take and motioned the Oblansks to follow. The entire group trudged wearily down the path, but Peter felt very at home in the large, noisy crowd. He even tried to talk to the youngest Oblansk, but they couldn't get each other to understand. Finally, they reached the wide field where they would be staying. No Muggles lived for miles around, so the French Ministry of Magic was regulating the campsite. Peter was sorry to see the Oblansks go, when they had paid the wizard in charge of reservations and headed off to the Bulgarian section of the campground, but it was hard not to be excited as they made their way toward the English tents.  
  
There were dozens of tents already up, and many wizards milling about. The decorations seemed to be split pretty evenly between the French and Columbian teams. '_This could get really ugly,_' Peter thought a bit nervously, remembering how bitterly James and Sirius had looked at each other over dinner the other night.  
  
As they set their things down at their site, Remus looked at the tents his father had brought. "Uh, dad?" he asked. "How are we all going to fit into those tents?"  
  
Sirius laughed. "They're wizard tents, Remus. They're like houses inside, right Nick?"  
  
Nick looked awkwardly at Sirius. "Nope, these, actually, are Muggle tents." He laughed nervously. "I had gotten rid of our wizard tents long ago..."  
  
Sirius' face fell. "Oh...well that should be fine, we have two, right?"  
  
"One is Lily's," Nick replied, looking away.  
  
Lily, of course, offered to share despite being the only girl, but no one else thought that was a good idea, so after magically setting up the tent, Peter and the other five male persons moved their things into it. Since it was obvious they all couldn't sit around inside their tent, the Marauders, along with Austin and Lily decided to wander around the campground.  
  
"Be careful," Nick called out as they walked away. "Don't wander too far into the German area!"  
  
"Why's that?" Lily asked quietly as they walked away.  
  
Peter was delighted that he knew the answer. "Since Dumbledore defeated their most powerful wizard in 1945, they don't like the English too much."  
  
"Oooh," Lily sighed happily. "Why don't we learn that in History of Magic? It's much more interesting than goblin rebellions."  
  
Peter nodded his agreement, but had no answer for Lily. He knew that Grindelwald's rise was the reason his family had fled from Germany to England, but his attention was caught by the colorful displays of each country's area, so thoughts of history were soon gone. Ireland's tents were covered in green shamrocks, despite have had a very poor showing that year. Walking through Spain's area was like walking through a sea of red and yellow, which reminded them all a bit of Gryffindor Tower (though nobody but Remus and Lily thought that she was reminded as well), except the Spanish music that resounded through the area. Peter was entranced, almost forgetting his shyness enough to start dancing to the beat, but was luckily persuaded in time to go over to the Australian tents and see the kangaroo some wizard had for a pet.  
  
Hours later, they returned to their site, exhausted. Peter wanted nothing more than to drop right into bed, but then his stomach growled, reminding him he hadn't eaten in quite some time. He helped Sirius prepare a fire, while Remus and James got dinner ready. Sirius complained to Peter the entire time about how Nick was insisting on cooking out like Muggles.  
  
"We could have easily conjured up some food," Sirius whined, as his stomach growled again.  
  
Peter nodded, silently agreeing, but not wanting to hurt Nick's feelings. He saw Remus look over at Sirius and shake his head, signaling to his friend to keep quiet. Sirius noticed as well and shut up, but his face still held a scowl.  
  
All things considered, it wasn't too long before dinner was ready, and Peter ate his hot dogs and baked beans very quickly. He was surprised at how good they tasted.  
  
"These are really good!" he mumbled through a mouthful.  
  
Nick laughed. "That's what cooking outside does to food."  
  
"I'm sure glad we cooked this over a fire," Sirius stated, looking elated. "This is the best food I've ever had."  
  
Peter and Remus laughed loudly, and after a moment, everyone else joined in heartily, though a bit confusedly. After a dessert of s'mores, which Peter had never had before, but was delighted to eat, he crawled into the boys tent and fell fast asleep, oblivious to how many other boys were crammed into the tent.  
  
The next day was spent in much the same way, running around the campground, meeting wizards from all over the world. The only part that got Peter a bit worried was their ventures into the Columbian and French sections. Much to his surprise, James and Sirius were quite civilized the entire time, and the only problem was trying to get Lily to leave a slightly older Columbian wizard named Carlos. The time until the game flew by rather quickly; soon it was time to go to the stadium.  
  
The stadium was nearby, just out of sight of the campground. As they neared it, Nick handed each of them their ticket. Peter looked carefully at his. It was a big square of parchment, which said "Admit One to the Quidditch World Cup," in ink that changed colors. Beneath that, it gave the place and the date, as well as Peter's seat number. When he got to the front of the line, a witch aimed a spell at the ticket, and when a puff of green smoke went up from it, she seemed satisfied it was genuine and let Peter in. He followed Nick to their seats, too awed by the view to say anything. The stadium had thousands and thousands of seats, but what caught Peter's eye was the quidditch pitch itself, so far below. The grass was an immaculate emerald green and the officials standing on the sidelines next to it looked like mere ants.  
  
The game wasn't scheduled to start for another hour ("To get everyone seated," Nick explained to nobody in particular), so Peter and Austin watched the crowd, and tried to determine which team had more fans (France, easily, having the home pitch advantage). When a wizard-vendor came around selling Every Flavor Beans, Peter bought a box and shared them with everyone. Just as he spit one out, saying, "Ugh, sushi," a voice boomed out, "Bienvenu à la Coupe du monde Quidditch! Je suis Henri L'Orateur, ici annoncer le jeu entre l'Équipe nationale française et l'Équipe nationale Colombienne. Le départ pour la Colombie est aujourd'hui Alfonso Perez, Mariano Bolivar, Simon Reyes, Jorge Lopez, Jose Nunez, Gabriel Herran...et chercheur Carlos Diaz!"

As the announcer spoke, the billboards around the stadium showed his words in every language imaginable. Peter read, "Welcome to the Quidditch World Cup! I am Henri L'Orateur, here to announce the game between the French National Team and the Columbian National Team. Starting for Columbia today are Alfonso Perez, Mariano Bolivar, Simon Reyes, Jorge Lopez, Jose Nunez, Gabriel Herran...and seeker Carlos Diaz!"  
  
L'Orateur continued, "Et pour votre équipe domestique, l'Équipe Quidditch nationale française..." which Peter read as, "And for your home team, the French National Quidditch Team...Charles de Monfort, Louis Martel, Hugh Grenoble, Philip Brittany, Eleanor Valois, Lothair du Guesclin...and seeker Jeffrey LeMessurier!"  
  
As the teams circled the fields for a warm up lap, the announcer went on. "The official for today's game is Adolf Huxley. And he's tossing the quaffle, Columbian chaser Lopez has it and he's off towards the French goals. He's wide open as he shoots...and it passes keeper Valois! Columbia 10, France 0."  
  
Peter watched in amazement. Before summer holidays he could hardly get his broom off of the ground and right in front of him, professional quidditch players were executing the most difficult plays. He watched Diaz and LeMessurier, the Columbian and French seekers, circle the field, high above the action, searching for the snitch. Below them, the other twelve players were involved in the fast paced game of quidditch.  
  
'_Wow_,' he thought, as the score changed to France 70, Columbia 40. He tore his eyes away from the game for a moment and observed how excited James and Sirius were. They were barely on the edge of their seats, they were so involved in the game. Peter smiled and turned his attention back to the pitch, where Columbian chaser Nunez was scoring another ten points for his team. Two hours later, the game was still quite close; France was ahead by only 20 points.  
  
The announcer's voice was starting to sound tired, when a jolt of excitement passed through it. "...And LeMessurier goes into a steep dive, which means he's seen the snitch. Diaz quickly follows. This is going to be close, folks."  
  
Peter sat up straighter, straining to see the golden snitch the two seekers were chasing after. He thought he caught a glint of gold about 20 feet above the grass, but he couldn't be sure. Breathlessly, he watched to see which seeker would capture the snitch.  
  
"It looks like LeMessurier will get to it first, securing France their first Quidditch World Cup in fifty years," the announcer shouted excitedly. As he spoke, Diaz began to overtake the French seeker, causing L'Orateur to exclaim, "Zut allors! The Columbian seeker Carlos Diaz has captured the snitch. Columbia wins 310-270."  
  
Peter stared in amazement, then turned to Austin sadly. "Sorry," he said simply.  
  
Austin, however, did not seem too sad. "Did you see that?" he yelled. "Amazing!"  
  
"Bloody brilliant!" James shouted, on his feet. Sirius just smiled and shook James' hand.  
  
"Good match," he said.  
  
"No hard feelings?" James asked.  
  
Sirius gave James a hug. "Nah, I'll let it go this time."  
  
Peter felt relieved, watching his two friends smile. He had been worried that this game would cause serious problems between the Marauders. Yawning, he realized how tired he was and longed to be back in the tent, where Nick had promised they would spend only one more night. Unfortunately, most of the disgusted French crowd was also trying to leave, so it took some time. Finally, Peter was saying goodnight to Lily and climbing into the boys' tent.  
  
The next morning, Peter and Remus were sent to get water for cooking breakfast, as their portkey back to James' wasn't for another few hours. As they made their way through all of the tents, they saw a familiar face from Hogwarts.  
  
"Arthur!" Remus called, smiling as Peter followed him to where Arthur Weasley stood with a girl who had red hair to rival his own.  
  
"Remus," Arthur said. "So nice to see you. You remember Molly."  
  
"Nice to see you Molly," Remus said, extending his hand.  
  
She bypassed the handshake and gave Remus a warm embrace. "Good to see you, too."  
  
"This is my friend, Peter," Remus continued.  
  
Molly smiled at Peter and hugged him as well. Peter felt a bit awkward, but surrendered to the embrace. "Nice to meet you, dear," Molly said as she pulled away.  
  
Peter immediately liked her and smiled broadly. "Nice to meet you, too."  
  
"Have you heard our news?" Arthur asked excitedly. Peter, feeling completely clueless, shook his head and was relieved to see Remus do the same. Instantly, Molly held out her left hand to show them the small diamond ring on it.  
  
"Congratulations!" Remus exclaimed. "When's the wedding?"  
  
"In about a week," Arthur quickly answered, looking like the happiest man on earth. "I proposed right after graduation and we want to be settled before I start my job at the end of the summer."  
  
"Where are you working?" Peter asked, trying to break into the conversation.  
  
Arthur proudly replied, "I'm going to be Mr. Perkins' assistant in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office of the Ministry of Magic. He even paid for mine and Molly's World Cup tickets."  
  
Peter was getting bored and shifting his weight restlessly from foot to foot. Remus picked up on this and said, "We'd better get going, or everyone will wonder where we've gone."  
  
With a handshake for Arthur, another hug for Molly, and a 'good luck' for them both, Peter and Remus made their way to the water and back to the Lupins' tent.  
  
Peter, his friends, and Remus' dad took a portkey (an old tin can this time) back to the Meadow. The boys went to James' room to repack their trunks for the trip home.  
  
"Don't forget to keep reading your books," James mumbled to Peter, Remus and Sirius so that Austin couldn't hear. "We'll do the tests as soon as we get a chance."  
  
Peter nodded silently as he closed his trunk and began to haul it down the stairs. Then he thanked the Potters' for having him over, said goodbye to his friends, and used floo powder to return to his house. No one was in his kitchen when he arrived, so he took his trunk upstairs.  
  
"Mum?" he called. "Dad?" There was no response. Peter was disappointed, but not surprised. He helped himself to a snack and was munching away when an owl swooped in and dropped a letter on his plate and sat on the windowsill looking very superior.  
  
"Another letter from Brian?" Peter muttered, disgusted. Still curious, he opened the envelope and pulled out the fancy parchment.  
  
Dearest Mother, Father and Peter,

I hope this owl finds you all well. I am well indeed for today I offered my hand in marriage to Helen McKinnon, who I am sure you know, is from one of the oldest wizarding families in the UK, and is said to be the prettiest witch in Britain as well. Also, at work today...  
  
It droned on, and was signed, "Yours, Brian L. Pettigrew."  
  
Peter tossed the letter aside. All he needed was another reason for his parents to adore Brian. A thought occurred to him. '_If Mum and Dad never see this letter, I'll be spared their awful comparisons for a little while, maybe_,' he thought. He wanted to light it on fire, but as he wasn't allowed to do magic and his house had no matches, he had to settle for ripping it into tiny pieces and letting the pieces fly out the window. After doing this, he shoo-ed the owl out the window and felt much better.  
  
Of course, news of the engagement couldn't be kept from Peter's parents forever, it was only put off about a week. Peter was eating breakfast while his mother was reading _The Daily Prophet_ and his father was reading the mail. He noticed his mother's eyes grow wide and he mouth open and shut without making a sound, and at the same moment, his father said gruffly, "Brian and his fiancee are coming to visit tomorrow," without looking up from the letter. "Doesn't say who that is."  
  
Peter's mother looked up, eyes still wide and face now pale. "It's Helen McKinnon."  
  
His father finally looked up and seemed interested, even proud. "Is it? Good, solid family, the McKinnons. Good for Brian."  
  
"It's announced right here in _The Daily Prophet_," she continued excitedly. "I only wonder why we didn't hear sooner."  
  
At this point, Peter felt it was best for him to leave, so he quickly mentioned the need to do some of his summer homework and, quite unnoticed, retreated to his room.  
  
If Peter thought hearing about Brian was annoying, he soon found out that having him back at home was almost unbearable. All he ever heard or saw was Brian or about Brian. He was surprised to find that Helen was not only as beautiful as she was said to be, but also very smart and kind. He liked her very much and couldn't help but be annoyed by the look of pride and possession that crossed Brian's face every time he looked at her. Peter never got a chance to talk to Helen alone, though he wasn't sure he could have actually done it given the chance, and he was sad to see her go two days later. He was extremely glad to see Brian go, though, and in the end, he just longed to be back at Hogwarts.  
  
Time dragged on until it was finally time to go back to school. Peter awoke early, extremely excited, and finished packing his trunk. He scurried down to the kitchen to have some breakfast, but to his dismay, his mother was not there reading the paper. Quickly, he went back upstairs and noticed her bedroom door was still shut. Nervously, he knocked twice. He heard a rustling, then his mother said, "What?"  
  
"It's almost time to meet the train," he called softly.  
  
There was a long pause, then, "What train?"  
  
Peter sighed loudly, but calmly answered, "The Hogwarts Express. I go back to school today."  
  
"Of course, Peter. We'll be ready in a moment," was the resigned response.


	4. Inner Animagi

Chapter Four: Inner Animagi  
  
A/N: Since I wrote this, JKR has said in a chat that wizards do not get to choose their animagi form. I like the method I came up with in this chapter, so it stays anyway. Thanks for reviews; I hope you enjoy the remainder of the story.  
  
More than ever, Peter just wanted to be out of his house. He concentrated on how happy he was to be seeing James, Sirius, Remus and Lily again as he finished getting ready. Finally, he and his parents arrived at King's Cross Station. As soon as they were on Platform 9 ¾, his mother smiled and said, "You'll be fine now, won't you?"  
  
Peter, seeing James and Sirius with their parents and Sirius' younger brother, nodded and walked over to them shyly, though he had known them all for most of his life. They greeted him warmly and Peter was pleased to note that James and Sirius seemed just as anxious to go. Once Remus and Lily arrived, they all boarded the train, though Lily opted to sit with some of her Ravenclaw friends. The boys found a compartment and changed into their robes.  
  
Realizing that the Marauders were finally alone together, James began to talk excitedly about their inner animagus tests.  
  
"We can do them right here," he exclaimed. "On the way to school!"  
  
Sirius and Peter both nodded, but Peter was a bit nervous. The first test consisted of concentrating very hard on one's best quality, the trait one would like to have dominant in their animagus, and repeating the spell. If it worked, images of several possibilities would emerge from one's wand. What if he didn't have a strong enough trait? What if he didn't have an inner animagus?  
  
As Peter worried, James read the instructions to them one more time and said, "Ok Sirius, you go first."  
  
Sirius nodded and gripped his wand, his eyes tightly shut.  
  
"We have to get as far back as we can," James warned. Remus and Peter obeyed and he went on. "What quality are you concentrating on, Sirius?"  
  
"Loyalty," Sirius replied, eyes still closed.  
  
"Good," James said. "Focus on it and say the spell."  
  
"Manifeste animagus!" Sirius cried. From the end of his wand shot a cloud of smoke, which formed the images of a Kneazle, a big black dog, a badger and a dolphin. Peter gasped, as did Sirius when he opened his eyes.  
  
"Wow," he said breathily.  
  
Remus, who had been appointed to take notes, quickly jotted down Sirius' animals and looked to James. James waved away the smoke shapes and asked, "Want to go next, Peter?"  
  
Peter thought quickly and decided he should go next. '_That way I'm not last, if I can't get it to work,_' he thought. "I'll go," he said, "but I'm not sure which quality to focus on."  
  
"Pick one that will be useful," James suggested. "But don't worry too much, the spell will find your animagus, not just the ones that match your trait."  
  
Peter nodded and ventured, "I like to watch things, to pay attention. So I guess I'll focus on observant."  
  
Remus nodded approvingly. "That's a good one, Peter."  
  
Still nodding, Peter closed his eyes and focused on being observant. "Manifeste animagus!"  
  
He could feel the wand in his hand produce the spell but he hardly dared to open his eyes. What if nothing had actually happened? Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw in front of him, made out of smoke, a snake, an owl, a rat and a hawk. He felt very relieved. Not only had the spell worked, but also he had some fine animals inside of him. Smiling, he watched James prepare.  
  
James, focusing on honor, recited the spell and watched thin wisps of smoke form a lion, a stag, and a quarter horse. He surveyed them carefully as Peter collapsed onto a seat. The shapes dissipated as he thought, '_The spell really takes a lot out of you_.' He could see James and Sirius felt drained as well. Remus volunteered to hunt down the food cart for them, to get their energy back. Soon, and gratefully, they were feasting on pumpkin cakes, Chocolate Frogs and Wiggling Worms.  
  
The four boys were surprisingly very quiet and thoughtful the rest of the journey. The train pulled into the Hogsmeade station and a familiar, though unexpected, voice called, "Firs' years, this way!"  
  
"Hagrid!" Lily's voice answered excitedly, across the crowd from Peter. Hagrid smiled in her general direction, his entire face lighting up.  
  
"'ello, Lily!" He called back. "Look wha' I get tuh do now!"  
  
"Congratulations!" She called back, before Peter lost sight of her as the students surged towards the carriages that awaited them. He had hoped to share a carriage with Lily, but it proved impossible to find her in the crowd, even with her distinctive auburn hair.  
  
The boys grew livelier on the carriage ride, amid the excited students and looking forward to the feast and the sorting. Peter remembered nostalgically his own sorting, which had turned out to be much easier than he had anticipated, though it had been nerve wracking to sit under the sorting hat for minutes waiting for it to decide. Then the carriages arrived at the castle and he was brought back to the present. The students walked into the Great Hall, which was decorated for the Start of Term Feast and sat down at their house tables.  
  
Peter saw Lily at the Ravenclaw table and smiled shyly as she waved at him. Then Professor McGonagall led the first year students into the hall and lined them up at the front. She placed the sorting hat on a five-legged stool. The first years watched in wonder as the hat began to sing.  
  
"The houses at Hogwarts are/Represented by animals four/ I will tell you about them/ But you will long to know more/  
  
Hufflepuff's is a badger,/ Who is just and true/ They are not afraid to work /And will always stand by you/  
  
A serpent represents Slytherin /The most cunning group of all /They have great ambition and/ Fear no one, great or small/  
  
Lions stand for Gryffindor/ The brave and the daring/ They will make many friends/ With their selflessness and caring/  
  
Ravenclaw's is a raven,/ The most intelligent of birds/They delight in wit and learning/ And most of all, words./  
  
And there you have them, /All four grand Hogwarts beasts/ Put me on and I will find the house/ That suits you most, not least," sang the hat, as the students listened in quiet wonder, especially the first years. When the song was over, they all applauded loudly and McGonagall cleared her throat.  
  
The sorting began as the hat was placed on Anderson, Timothy's head and he was put into Hufflepuff. Nothing noteworthy happened until after "Fletcher, Medea," was called. She was a nondescript girl, and she was quickly sorted into Slytherin.  
  
The Slytherin table erupted with cheers as she joined their ranks. Peter watched the girl sit down and his eyes met the almost black eyes of Severus Snape. Peter's eyes opened wide in alarm as Snape's narrowed with hate. Peter quickly looked away from his former leader. He had almost dismissed from his memory the portion of his first year when he had fallen under the influence of the dominating, power hungry Slytherin.  
  
He fixed his eyes upon the boy who was next for sorting. "Fletcher, Mundungus," Professor McGonagall called.  
  
"Must be twins," Peter murmured.  
  
James and Sirius snickered as the boy stepped forward. '_He looks just like you'd imagine someone doomed with that name to look,_' Peter thought with a bit of a smirk. Remus silenced his friends sternly as they watched the small, mousy boy with large glasses sit rather self-assuredly under the sorting hat. It wasn't long before the hat announced, "GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Mundungus walked calmly over to the table while the Gryffindors applauded loudly, while thinking it very odd indeed that twins were sorted so oppositely.  
  
"We can have some fun with this one," Sirius declared, smiling evilly.  
  
Peter eyed the new Gryffindor wearily. "I'm not so sure it'll be so easy," he replied.  
  
After the sorting of Wilkinson, Tyler, Professor Dumbledore stood and addressed the students. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I have two announcements to make before the feast commences. First, the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden for all students. Second," he paused menacingly. "Please enjoy the feast." The headmaster smiled and waved his hand as he said this, and food appeared on all of the tables, piping hot and smelling delicious.  
  
Peter helped himself to large amounts of turkey and cake, and felt very full, but very happy when the feast was over. He and the other Marauders, and the rest of the Gryffindors, followed Prefect Meg Weasley, Arthur's sister, to their tower. When they reached the portrait of the fat lady that protected the entrance to their common room, Meg announced, "The password is Devil's snare. Please remember it, as you won't be allowed in without it." The portrait swung open and the students filed in, Peter still repeating the password to himself, as he had a habit of forgetting them.  
  
Going up the stairs to their dorm, he and the others found all of their things already there, as they expected. At the same moment, they all realized Austin's bed would remain empty this year. Silence fell over them as they began to unpack some immediate necessities, and was only broken by a knock at the door.  
  
"Professor McGonagall here, may I please come in?" A voice called through the door.  
  
'McGonagall?' Peter mouthed, confused.  
  
"Sure, Professor," Remus answered, shrugging at Peter.  
  
The head of Gryffindor house entered, Mundungus Fletcher behind her with his trunk.  
  
"Good to see you again, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew, Mr. Potter," the stern witch began. "We have a bit of an unusual situation here. The first year dormitories are full, but Mr. Fletcher is without a bed. Since you have an open one, we would like to move him in with you."  
  
James looked at each boy, and Peter nodded his consent, as did Sirius and Remus. James turned to McGonagall overly innocently and replied, "Of course, Professor, we'd be glad to have him."  
  
McGonagall must have been preoccupied with start of term worries, because she didn't pick up on James' expression, which was perfectly obvious to Peter. She merely nodded and said, "I knew I could count on your help," and hurried away.  
  
The new boy set his trunk near the empty bed as Remus began introductions.  
  
"I'm Remus Lupin," he began, "and this is James Potter (James smiled), Sirius Black (Sirius waved), and Peter Pettigrew (Peter shyly nodded)."  
  
"I'm Mundungus Fletcher," the boy said, shaking hands all around. "But please, call me Fletcher."  
  
"Alright, Fletcher," James responded, his smile growing larger. "Was that your sister who was sorted into Slytherin?"  
  
Nodding, Fletcher replied, "Yep, Medea and Mundungus. We're still not sure what our parents were on when they named us. I swear they would be hippies if they were Muggles."  
  
"So you're from a wizarding family?" Peter asked.  
  
Fletcher yawned. "Yeah. What about you guys?"  
  
Sirius laughed. "We're an odd mix. Peter, James and I are pure blood, Remus is half-and-half, but brought up Muggle, our friends Lily and Austin are both from extremely Muggle families. But Austin's moved to France now. It's his bed you're using."  
  
Peter flinched at Sirius' words. They sounded so cold, like Fletcher would always be an outsider. But Fletcher didn't seem uncomfortable at all, merely stretched and began putting on his pajamas. Peter felt relieved, but James and Sirius exchanged an odd glance before getting ready for bed.


	5. Rivals

Chapter Five: Rivals  
  
The next day at breakfast, they received their schedules and found they had double Defense Against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaw first thing. That made Peter pretty happy because Professor Carter was one of the nicest teachers at Hogwarts, and Lily would be in class with the Marauders. Not only was she fun to have around, but she had single-handedly gotten Peter through his finals last year, and he was sure he'd need her help again. Potions class was with the Slytherins after lunch, and Peter wasn't sure how that would go. Luckily, it was also the only class Gryffindor and Slytherin second years shared. He was desperately longing to avoid any contact with Snape and his group; their hatred of James, Sirius, Remus and (now) Peter had only grown since Peter had gone back to his real friends and would increase tenfold if the Slytherins knew the four boys were the Marauders. They had pulled several tricks on the Slytherins in their first year, the most memorable being the floating, dripping animal hearts that decorated the Slytherin common room on Valentine's Day. Snape had been very angry about this, but he hadn't succeeded in finding out who the culprits were.  
  
"Peter?" Remus spoke gently, drawing Peter from his thoughts. "It's time to go to class."  
  
Peter smiled and nodded, picking up his books. Lily joined the boys and they headed for Professor Carter's classroom, where they were among the first there. Professor Carter smiled at them as they took seats near the front.  
  
"Hello," he said warmly. "Good to see you all again. Did you do your summer reading?"  
  
All five of them nodded and pulled out their second year textbooks. They chatted with Professor Carter while the rest of the class wandered in. Carter cleared his throat and said to the class, "Welcome back to your second year at Hogwarts and your second year of Defense Against the Dark Arts. This year we will be getting into much more exciting things, scarier monsters and even some dueling."  
  
An excited murmur passed through the class and Peter perked up as well. '_Dueling would be really fun,_' he thought, '_if I would be any good at it_.' Carter smiled and said, "Settle down, that won't be for a few weeks." Peter felt a bit relieved; he would have time to read up on dueling before the class learned it.  
  
"We will be starting our next class with boggarts," Professor Carter went on. "So please read chapter 3 of your books before we meet again. Today will be spent reviewing last year's lessons." The class groaned, but Carter grinned good-naturedly and opened his book.  
  
The double class passed pleasantly, but by the time lunch rolled around Peter was famished. Then came the class he was dreading the most, Potions. Reluctantly, Peter went with his friends to the dungeon where Professor Turpin taught his class. He quickly sat down next to Remus in the front of the room, not daring to look for Snape and his friends. Before too long, he could feel their eyes boring into the back of his head and he struggled to keep his eyes fixed straight ahead. Remus noticed this and whispered, "Peter, are you ok? I thought I was the one who had a problem with potions." He smiled, but his eyes held real concern for his friend.  
  
Amazed that the reason for his fear wasn't obvious to his friend, Peter silently shook his head, hoping to keep Remus in the dark. Remus looked at Peter curiously then glanced around the room before saying, "Ah. Worried about a run in with the Slytherins? I don't think Snape has the brains to figure out we're the Marauders."  
  
Peter grinned gratefully at his friend and nodded as Professor Turpin began the lesson. Once the class was busy making one of last year's easier potions, Turpin walked over to Peter and Remus' table and asked quietly, "How is your owl doing, Mr. Pettigrew?"  
  
He stared at the blond professor for a moment before replying, "Oh, she's just fine, Professor, thanks for remembering."  
  
Professor Turpin nodded and moved on to another table as Peter and Remus dissolved into giggles. They both knew that Peter didn't have a pet owl, he had concocted the tale of his sick owl only to stall Professor Turpin for a prank the Marauders were pulling last year. James and Sirius looked at their two friends strangely from the next table over, so they pulled themselves together and finished their potion. They were both surprised to find that it actually worked, since neither of them had much luck with potions in general.  
  
History of Magic came next and Peter could tell it would be a pain to have right before dinner all year long because the class seemed even longer and more boring than it had last year. Professor Binns had no word of welcome for the students, he merely took attendance and began lecturing from _History of Magic_. Eyes heavy with the need for sleep by the time dinner rolled around, Peter packed up his things and walked down to the Great Hall with James. He smiled at Fletcher as he sat at the Gryffindor table, but didn't get a response from the first year. He didn't think much of it, but joined in good food and conversation with his friends. Despite their excitement of being together again, none of them resisted sleep long once they were in their room.  
  
They awoke the next morning and heard quite a commotion from the other dorm rooms. Peter sat up sleepily as James and Sirius jumped out of bed and opened the door to see what was going on. They didn't go out it, though and so Peter asked, "Well, what is it?" Sirius simply opened the door all of the way and revealed a brick wall solidly blocking their doorway.  
  
"Oh." Peter responded dumbly, staring at the wall. It sounded as if the other rooms in Gryffindor tower were experiencing the same problem.  
  
"How will we get out?" he said.  
  
"Who could have done this?" Sirius muttered at the same time.  
  
Fletcher surprised them all by looking out the door and laughing.  
  
James narrowed his eyes and demanded, "What, may I ask, is so funny, Fletcher?"  
  
Their small roommate stopped laughing for a moment to answer, "The brick wall, James. It's genius. Sounds like the infamous Marauders to me." He was overwhelmed by laughter again, leaving James to raise his eyebrows at his friends. Peter shrugged, just as confused as James. It was the sort of prank they would pull- but they hadn't. That left a big question: who were the rival pranksters?  
  
Sirius shrugged at James, too, and Peter watched in wonder as he pulled out his wand and made the wall disappear. He hurried over to the first year rooms and took care of their walls, too, much to the young wizards' relief. A group of eleven-year-olds surrounded Sirius, clamoring to know how he got rid of the wall and thanking him profusely. Peter noted he looked a bit bewildered, but was soon smiling and laughing with them.  
  
Then, the common room door opened and Professor McGonagall entered, looking very angry. "Breakfast started ten minutes ago. Why are there no Gryffindors eating?" she demanded.  
  
Speaking up to divert attention from Sirius and his new fan club, Peter said, "We were bricked into our rooms, Professor! We just now got out."  
  
He watched the look on her face change from extreme anger to puzzlement. "Bricked in, Mr. Pettigrew?"  
  
Nodding, he continued. "Yes, Professor. One of the rooms is still closed, come and see it."  
  
The head of Gryffindor house reluctantly followed him up the stairs to a third year girls' room, the entrance to which was still covered with bricks. McGonagall gasped and quickly pulled out her wand and magicked the bricks away. Five girls rushed gratefully out and thanked the professor, who turned to Peter and said, "I must apologize for not quite believing you, Mr. Pettigrew, but I can still hardly believe it. That a Hogwarts student, most likely a Gryffindor at that, would do something like this..." She trailed off, walking briskly back to the common room where all of the students were gathered. He followed, somewhat bewildered, but not blaming McGonagall in the slightest.  
  
"If anyone has any idea who may have done this," she addressed the students, "please do not hesitate to inform me or Professor Dumbledore. You may all go to breakfast now, but you are not to be late to your first lesson!" With that, she turned and left the tower, the students following, anxious to finish breakfast before class. The Marauders, however, waited and followed at a distance, to be able to talk amongst themselves privately.  
  
They whispered frantically as they walked, but they were all equally clueless as to the identity of the pranksters. The idea of the Snape's group had entered each of their thoughts, but once spoken aloud was quickly dismissed. "They aren't clever enough to pull off such a complicated prank," Sirius scoffed.  
  
Peter nodded, agreeing, but wondering whom else it could possibly be. He said, "Maybe there's an older group of Slytherins who've got it in for Gryffindors."  
  
James nodded as they entered the Great Hall. "That's possible, I guess. We'll just have to keep our eyes open."  
  
They sat at the now full Gryffindor table and Peter ignored the strange look Lily was giving them from the Ravenclaw table. He knew they didn't have time to explain what had happened and still get to Charms on time. Scarfing down his food in record time, he was ready to go to class when the hall started emptying, as were his friends. In Charms, the Hufflepuffs were crowded around all of the Gryffindors, wanting to know what had kept them all that morning. Peter was excited to be part of the center of attention for once, but by the end of the day, he was tired of telling the same, rather short, story. At dinner, he listened to Sirius embellish the story in telling it to some older students. The story they heard included bricks flying through the air, and a heroic rescue of dying first years by none other than Sirius Black. But by the next day, the excitement was over and the Marauders were stuck wondering who the perpetrators had been, having no evidence to go on.  
  
By the end of that week, Peter was back in the swing of things at school. In fact, he hardly remembered he had just returned from summer holidays, he was so immersed in his school life. Part of being back at school was starting off another year of beautiful pranks, which he had not forgotten, nor had James and Sirius. Their first weekend back at school, they had started planning. They decided to release a group of Cornish pixies that Professor Carter had on hand for the first years into the Great Hall during breakfast on Monday.  
  
"It'll be mass confusion," Peter said in awe after hearing the plan.  
  
James nodded gleefully. "Exactly. Maybe we'll even get to miss our first lesson if the teachers are all busy catching the little buggers."  
  
Everyone's eyes lit up at this. '_It would be an accomplishment if we could cancel lessons with our pranks,_' Peter thought excitedly.  
  
It was decided that Peter would be the one to get the pixies out of Carter's classroom, since he would seem less likely to be up to something if caught. He, along with the others, woke up extra early on Monday morning and snuck quietly out of their room, not wanting to wake Fletcher. The others stopped halfway between the Great Hall and Carter's room while Peter continued on. He waited, hidden, until Professor Carter emerged from his room for breakfast. As soon as he had turned the corner, Peter quietly went into his room and found the cage of pixies. When he came out of the room, the door closed with a loud bang, causing him to jump. Luckily, no one else seemed to have heard and he breathed a sigh of relief. He tried to walk casually down the hall with the cage, repeating his excuse to himself ("Professor Carter asked me to bring these to him for a lesson he's planning.") in case he met a teacher on the way.  
  
"Did you get them?" James' voice hissed.  
  
Peter held up the cage proudly. "Yep, and no one saw me."  
  
James nodded. "Great. Now we need to set them behind that statue right inside the Hall and 'Alohomora!' we've got pixies everywhere!"  
  
It proved to be as easy as James made it sound. While the other students filed in, nobody noticed Sirius place the cage of pixies out of sight. Once the food appeared and the entire school was digging in, James pulled out his wand, and under the table, pointed it at the obscured cage and muttered, "Alohomora!"  
  
Immediately, several blue blurs shot out from behind the statue and began flying around the hall. Pandemonium ensued as the pixies flew around, throwing food, books, wands and anything else they could find. Students screamed and Peter scrambled under his house table to watch their rampage without being part of it. The other Marauders soon joined him and they gleefully watched students run around while Dumbledore stood and asked everyone to remain calm. He was, of course, ignored until he began shouting, "ALL STUDENTS LEAVE THE HALL IMMEDIATELY!" The Marauders waited until the stampede for the doors had calmed down a bit, then emerged from under the Gryffindor table and joined the remaining crowd at the entrance.  
  
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew, I'd like to see you in my office, if you don't mind," Dumbledore said from behind them. "I think Professors Carter and McGonagall can deal with the pixies very shortly by themselves." At the moment, they were busy shooting Freezing Spells at the pixies.  
  
Peter felt scared; the coldness in Dumbledore's voice was unnerving, but James looked collected and answered, "Of course, Professor."  
  
The walk to Dumbledore's office was long and silent. Peter wondered what would happen to them; he certainly didn't relish the idea of having detention with Pringle or losing points for Gryffindor. He knew he had precious little chance of earning house points back, and detention was a dangerous experience with Apollyan Pringle. Finally, they were in Dumbledore's office.  
  
"I think it is fair of me to assume that the Marauders are responsible for the pixies at breakfast?" Dumbledore said, questioningly. All four boys nodded. "And the brick walls in your tower the other day?" he continued.  
  
"That wasn't us, sir," Remus said quietly.  
  
Dumbledore looked surprised. "It wasn't?"  
  
Peter shook his head as Dumbledore looked at each of them closely.  
  
"You're sure?" He asked.  
  
James couldn't help but laugh. "I think we'd know if we'd done it, sir."  
  
The Headmaster nodded without replying. Then he said quietly, as if to himself, "If it wasn't them, was it...? No, it can't be. Could it?" Then he shook his head, seeming to come out of a daydream. "You boys may go to class now."  
  
They were all surprised, none more than Peter, who was expecting the worst, but they all left without comment. "Why'd he let us go?" Sirius whispered as soon as they were out of the office.  
  
James shook his head. "I have no idea, but something big must be going on for him to let us go without even a warning."  
  
The group was silent on their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, each boy wondering what was going on at Hogwarts. 


	6. Dueling

Chapter Six: Dueling

They arrived a bit late, and to their great disappointment, Professor Carter was already there and ready to begin the lesson. Peter remembered that they were to begin studying dueling and anxiously got out his book, oblivious to the stern look Professor Carter was giving the latecomers.

"You should all have read up on dueling since last week," the professor began. Peter nodded vigorously, having finished the required reading as well as an entire library book on dueling. He was pretty confident that he wouldn't make a fool out of himself in class.

"But to refresh your memories, we will begin with a demonstration of the etiquette of dueling," he went on. "Could I have Mr. Potter and Mr. Black up here to help me?"

James and Sirius smiled and scrambled to the front of the room.

"Stand facing each other, wands out and up," Professor Carter directed. "Bring them up like so," he said, holding his wand straight up in front of his face, "And down to your side."

James and Sirius imitated their teacher, trying hard not to laugh. "Then turn around and walk ten paces. Very good. Now turn back, and prepare to cast your spell as I count to three," he continued. "But for Merlin's sake, don't actually cast one!"

He looked suspiciously at his two helpers, but shrugged and counted, "1, 2, 3!"

At the same moment, Sirius yelled, "Abhorreo Mora!" as James yelled, "Perfundo!" Peter watched in amazement as James began to shudder uncontrollably and Sirius looked as if a bucket of water had just been poured on him. Professor Carter quickly, but exasperatedly, stepped in and stopped James' shuddering and Sirius' dripping water onto the floor.

"Thank you for your help in the demonstration, boys," Professor Carter said tiredly. "I will give you five points each for helping, which evens out when I take away five points each for disobeying me." He smiled good-naturedly as their faces fell. "Let's break into pairs and try what we've just seen…without the spells, of course." As he paired the class up, he wisely broke up the dangerous duo and put Peter with James and Sirius with Remus.

The rest of the time passed uneventfully as they practiced bowing and pacing. Peter felt confident that he knew what he was doing- up until he would have to cast a spell. He hurried through his lunch, trying not to think about their next class with the Slytherins. Fortunately, nothing noteworthy happened and everyone returned to their own common rooms unscathed that night.

Peter didn't sleep well. The mysterious pranksters, Dumbledore's worried face, and his anxieties about school all churned around in his head. When he finally did sleep, he tossed and turned so much that when it was time for breakfast, he was more tired than he could ever remember being. James asked him what was wrong, but he just said he hadn't slept well and left it at that.

A week passed, and the moon waxed into its fullest phase. Remus had to leave for the Shrieking Shack right after dinner. The other Marauders went up to Gryffindor Tower and decided to go to their room and have a private discussion about their next big prank. When they entered their room, Fletcher was sitting on his bed, reading. As soon as he saw them, he closed the book and shoved it into his trunk and locked it. Without a word, he left the room.

"Weird," Peter murmured.

"You got that right," James replied. "Our next prank should be on him. He's such an easy target, sharing our room and being so quiet."

Sirius nodded gleefully. "Yeah, we can get him really good."

Peter wasn't sure that was such a good idea, but he didn't feel confident enough to challenge James, so he merely nodded in agreement. They discussed many plans without making a decision, and went to bed still scheming. The next morning, on the way down to breakfast, they were surprised to see a patch of golden mist floating outside the portrait of the fat lady.

"What's that?" Peter asked nervously.

Sirius shrugged. "I have no idea."

James cautiously approached it, examining it as close as he could without touching it. He stood up. "Seems ok," he concluded.

So they forged ahead, into the mist. Before Peter knew what was happening, he was hanging upside down from the floor, which was now above his head. The ceiling below looked a long way off and he was terrified to move. He slowly turned his head and saw his friends also hanging from the castle floor. After a moment of confusion, Sirius disappeared and his voice penetrated the mist. "Just pull your foot from the floor and you'll be ok," it said.

Peter watched in surprise as James lifted his foot and disappeared from the mist. And still he remained motionless, hanging, too scared to move a muscle.

"C'mon Peter, it's easy," James pleaded. "Just lift your foot."

A moment of internal struggle ensued, but finally he realized that he had to try to move his foot unless he wanted to be stuck upside down in the mist forever. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly lifting his foot. It felt like it was made of lead and it seemed like years before he hit the ground, right side up, beside his friends.

"Sorry guys," he muttered. James and Sirius smiled understandingly, but their faces turned to concern as more students emerged from Gryffindor Tower and stared at the mist. The only way around it was to go through it, so James took charge.

"This is some trippy mist," he called across it. "When you walk through it, everything turns upside down and you're hanging from the floor. But all you have to do is lift your foot to get out of it, ok?"

The group of students nodded nervously, then plunged into the mist and reappeared a moment later on the other side.

"Thanks, James," an older girl with long brown hair said. "That Anti-Gravity Mist can be tricky."

"You're welcome, Arabella," James replied.

She stopped and looked puzzled. "Where's Remus?" she asked.

"Running a bit late," Sirius interjected with a broad smile.

Arabella shone her sparkling brown eyes on Sirius and rejoined her friends. James gave Sirius a push and he elbowed James squarely in the stomach. A terrific game of rough housing would have ensued, except for the crowd of Gryffindors gathering on the far side of the mist. Peter cleared his throat to get James' attention and soon every Gryffindor was safely on their way to breakfast.


	7. Division

Chapter Seven: Division

Along the way to breakfast, they encountered five more patches of Anti-Gravity Mist. From what they heard, they could tell the mist had been placed all around the school. With more than their usual gusto, the students at Hogwarts dug into their breakfasts. Hardly anyone noticed that Professor Dumbledore wasn't present at the staff table, but Peter and James certainly did. Once they had managed to get Sirius' attention away from his food, they began to speculate about it.

"Do you think he's stuck in the mist somewhere?" Sirius asked.

James stared. "Are you daft? He's the greatest wizard ever. A bit of fog isn't going to present any problem for him," he practically yelled.

Peter watched timidly. He didn't want to see James and Sirius fight, but he was amazed when Sirius started laughing.

"I had you going, Potter," he said between chuckles. "You really think I'm that stupid?"

Peter watched James' face anxiously as anger flashed through his eyes. But it passed quickly, and was replaced with a broad smile.

"Course I do," James said casually, as he ducked to miss Sirius' fist. Peter smiled and felt much relieved.

The three boys (well, James and Sirius, really) put their heads together to try to come up with some ideas on who the pranksters were and how to catch them. Peter came away from the meeting dizzy and a bit confused. Luckily, on the way to class, Lily ran into them and offered to help Peter with his transfiguration homework. By lunch, however, they seemed to have agreed on a plan that Peter understood: keep their eyes open and note any suspicious behavior. After they had some suspects, they could figure out a way to catch them.

"They had better watch out," James said as they left the table. "They have the Marauders on their tails now."

Peter was glad when the subject shifted from the mysterious pranks at Hogwarts. Thinking about trying to catch whoever was behind it made him nervous. _It's probably some nasty Slytherins,_ he thought with certainty. _Big, ugly, 7th year Slytherins._ He didn't want anything to do with them, but he also didn't want to make his way to breakfast through Anti-Gravity Mist every morning.

The next morning being Saturday, Peter suggested going to pick up Remus as he left the Whomping Willow and going to see Hagrid, as long as Remus didn't need to see the nurse. The plan was adopted unanimously, so the trio went out bright and early to meet Remus. He was a bit surprised to see his friends standing just outside the tree's reach, but he was feeling pretty good, so he was glad to go with them to visit Hagrid.

"Hello boys," Hagrid warmly greeted them. "C'mon in."

Peter looked around warily to see which dangerous beast he might run into in Hagrid's hut, but seeing none he sighed with relief and took a seat.

"'eard you 'ad some excitement up ah the school yesterday," Hagrid remarked.

Peter nodded, Remus looked confused, and James and Sirius said, "You bet we did!"

"Whoa! Slow down there," Hagrid said, holding up one of his huge hands. "One at ah time, please."

"Wait," Remus cut Sirius off. "What are we talking about here?"

"Another prank," Sirius replied gravely. "This time there was Anti-Gravity Mist all over the school."

"Wha's tha' exactly?" Hagrid said, trying, and failing, to sound as if he knew the main points of it.

James smirked, in a kindly way, then answered, "If you walk through it, it turns everything upside down and you are hanging from the ceiling until you pick up your foot. Then everything is back to normal and you're on the other side of the mist."

Remus let out a low whistle. "That must have caused some chaos."

"Dumbledore didn't even come to breakfast," Peter bravely added.

"He's obviously worried," James agreed. "I think we just need to figure out who's at the bottom of this so things can get back to normal."

"Grea' idea, James," Hagrid said excitedly. "Can I 'elp?"

"Sure," the ringleader answered. "We'll let you know what you can do."

"So have you got any new pets we should know about Hagrid?" Remus asked, eyes twinkling with suppressed laughter.

Hagrid shook his head sadly. "Nope, Remus, no new pets yet. But Ah'll invite you down to see it when Ah do…" He trailed off and smiled.

"Are you expecting one soon?" Peter asked nervously. He'd like visiting Hagrid a lot more if he didn't have to worry about meeting all manner of dangerous beasts.

Shaking his head playfully this time, Hagrid said, "If Ah answer that, Ah'll take all the fun out of it."

"I'm sure it'll be great fun to meet it," Sirius muttered. Hagrid either didn't hear the comment, or he ignored it, for he went on to ask how class was going.

Over an hour had passed when the boys had to invent an excuse to leave Hagrid's, as there was no other way to avoid eating the treats he had prepared, and it looked like it might begin to rain any second. As they entered the school, they passed Fletcher, who was on his way out. Only Remus smiled and greeted their roommate, though he didn't smile back.

"What is wrong with you guys?" Remus turned to them as soon as they were inside.

Peter knew the comment wasn't really directed at him; Remus knew he was too shy to speak to someone outside his friends without being spoken to first, but he still felt ashamed. James and Sirius lowered their heads, too, but Peter suspected it might have been to hide their smirks. Remus must have suspected this, too, because he mumbled something about finding Lily and stalked away.

The friends he left behind continued on, so perturbed that they walked right into Snape's gang. As soon as Peter realized it, he was frozen with fear. He was later pleased to reflect that James and Sirius did not freeze, but held themselves taller and looked ready for a fight.

"What would three Gryffindors be doing outside on a day like today?" Severus hissed at them. Belatedly, Peter realized the storm that had been threatening had indeed begun, and in full force. "They wouldn't be visiting that giant of a servant, would they?"

Anger bubbled up inside of Peter. He couldn't believe Snape would make such an awful suggestion about Hagrid. But Sirius reacted more quickly.

With a hand around Snape's throat, he muttered, "You take that back, Snape."

"I don't believe I will," Snape replied with a smirk. "Please remove your hand from my neck."

"I don't believe I will," Sirius growled back. Two rather large Slytherins emerged from the pack and rolled up their sleeves menacingly. Sirius looked incensed, and Peter knew when he backed down it wasn't from cowardice, but knowing a two on ten fight was hopeless.

"You just wait," he muttered so only the people closest could hear. "You'll get what's coming to you." Then he turned and motioned for Peter and James to follow. Silently, they did. It was a few minutes later before Peter ventured to speak.

"Is it just me, or does his group appear larger than last year?" he asked. "I thought I even saw Fletcher's little sister among the new recruits."

"That sneak of a roommate is too closely related to one of Snape's gang to be a true Gryffindor," James sneered. "I wonder how he ended up in our house."

"And our room," Sirius added sorrowfully. "He's cramping our style just by being there. We can't plan pranks, we can't practice our animagi transfigurations…" He trailed off. Peter didn't respond, but nodded in complete sympathy. He was not comfortable having a stranger in his room.

"I think we could come up with a way to make him spend less time in the room," James said, grinning evilly. "A few well chosen pranks…"

He was about to agree whole-heartedly with James' idea, when Peter remembered how Remus had gotten angry and stormed off when they wouldn't say hi to Fletcher. "I-I don't think Remus will like that idea," Peter said.

James nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, Peter. He wouldn't let us do that." He stopped, apparently stumped.

Sirius suddenly smiled. "But once a month, Remus is gone for a few days. If all of a sudden when he gets back, Fletcher isn't in the room as much, who's going to ask why?"

"Excellent idea, Sirius," James said appreciatively. "We'll wait for the next full moon then. And not a word to Remus about it."

He looked closely at both of his friends. Peter wasn't sure, but he thought James' glance lingered on him a bit longer. Did James think that he would blab to Remus? Surely James could tell Peter wanted Fletcher out of their hair as much as James did. But he shrugged it off and followed his friends through the door to their common room.

Peter wasn't surprised that Remus wasn't in the common room waiting and from the resigned looks on their faces, he could see his other friends weren't surprised either. "Should we try the library?" he murmured. "Remus mentioned finding Lily, so perhaps they're there."

James nodded, looking concerned. "I didn't think he'd get this bent out of shape," he remarked.

Without another word, he turned and marched out the door and back down the hallway. Peter and Sirius followed silently. They found their missing friend in the farthest, darkest corner of the library with Lily. They were deep in conversation when Peter, James and Sirius approached. Remus looked up expectantly.

"We're sorry Remus," James said sincerely.

Remus nodded. "I know you're not trying to be cruel, but you don't know what it's like to be the new guy."

Sirius added, "You know, Fletcher hasn't exactly been friendly to us either, always sneaking around and stuff. Maybe he doesn't want to be our friend."

Looking thoughtful, Remus replied, "You may be right, Sirius, but we have to make an effort."

Peter nodded vigorously, almost ecstatic that no big fight had ensued. Things would work out perfectly, he reasoned. For a month, they would tolerate Fletcher's presence, then they would scare him off and Remus would never be the wiser. As he smiled in appreciation of the excellent plan, Remus smiled back at his friends and so did Lily.

"You guys up for a game of Exploding Snap?" she asked.


End file.
